Noel Biderman, former chief executive of Avid Life Media Inc., which operates AshleyMadison. com, once said he is the 'successful entrepreneur people love to hate.'Eugene Hoshiko, The Associated Press / Financial Post

Ashley Madison founder Noel Biderman has stepped down as chief executive of Toronto-based parent company Avid Life Media Inc. in the wake of a massive data breach.

In a statement released Friday, Avid Life did not announce a replacement for Biderman, saying the company’s existing senior management team will take the helm for now. The statement said Avid Life is still working with law enforcement to track down the hackers who posted data from internal company documents and 36 million user accounts online on Aug. 18.

Biderman’s departure comes two days after a data analysis by the Gawker affiliate Gizmodo revealed only about 12,000 of the site’s 5.5 million female profiles displayed evidence of being connected to actual women who used the site.

Many of the remaining profiles showed signs that point to fakery by the site’s administrators.

“This change is in the best interest of the company and allows us to continue to provide support to our members and dedicated employees,” the statement read. “We are steadfast in our commitment to our customer base.”

As Ashley Madison grew its public profile, Biderman was the face of the company, becoming a go-to media commentator on marriage and fidelity. He revelled in the controversy he created by claiming cheating can be a force for good.

A frequent marketing strategy under Biderman’s direction was to propose eye-catching advertisements on buses and billboards with slogans like “Life is short. Have an affair;” or “Your wife is hot but so are ours.”

The company then sat back as the media covered citizens and politicians decrying the advertisements.

In a 2010 interview with the Financial Post, Biderman discussed how the Toronto Transit Commission’s rejection of a proposal to plaster city buses with Ashley Madison advertisements actually helped the company.

“That would have been a really good marketing campaign, I could have got a single or a double out of it. But it turned into a home run when the councillor stood up and said ‘absolutely not,’ ” Biderman said.

Since the hack, Biderman has been uncharacteristically silent. The last tweet sent from his account was on May 17, with a link to a profile on him by Vv magazine published in April.

In the profile, Biderman was asked whether he’s concerned about hacking. He said users’ credit card data is handled by a third party, “in a bunker away from everybody else,” and that the company’s database of users “is all anonymous.” Data released in the hack included partial credit card information, personal emails and other potentially identifying details

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